Singapore personality Kurt Tay jailed 14 months for sharing intimate videos and photo of woman in revenge
Singaporean online personality Kurt Tay has been sentenced to 14 months’ jail and an additional 10 days for distributing intimate material and making threatening remarks.
The 43-year-old, whose real name is Tay Foo Wei, was also fined S$3,000.
However, he will serve an extra 10 days’ jail after failing to pay the fine, The Straits Times (ST) reported.
Source: Kurt Tay on YouTube
Tay pleaded guilty to one charge of distributing an intimate video and photo of the woman without her consent, as well as one count of making threatening, abusive, or insulting communication.
Nine other charges were taken into consideration.
Dispute led to revenge postings
The court heard that Tay came into contact with the woman in June 2023 after learning she provided BDSM-related services. BDSM stands for a variety of sexual practices, including bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism.
Videos from his YouTube channel showed his interest in BDSM.
Source: Kurt Tay on YouTube
Between July and Aug 2023, he filmed himself performing acts requested by the woman and sent the clips to her. Some of these were later posted online with his consent, provided his identity was concealed to keep the videos from his wife.
However, the pair later fell out in Aug 2023, after videos showing his face and arm tattoo were uploaded online.
Tay claimed that the content was circulated to his wife, employer, and a WhatsApp group for security officers, causing him embarrassment. At the time, he was working as a security officer.
Source: Instagram
In retaliation, he shared an intimate video and photo of the woman in a Telegram group with more than 240 members.
According to CNA, he posted the video around 30 times and the photo 13 times, saying he did so as “an eye for an eye”.
Asked about hiring a killer
In Oct 2023, Tay also posted threatening messages in the same Telegram group, including asking how much it would cost to hire a killer and stating that he wanted the woman to die.
The victim’s friends alerted her to the messages, prompting her to file a police report.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Dan Pan said the threats caused the victim to fear for her safety and left her “alarmed, distressed, and humiliated”, to the extent that she considered seeking psychiatric help.
Court maintains revenge is not excuse for crime
The defence argued that the offences arose from a soured online relationship and that Tay had since lost his job as a security officer following the dispute.
Source: Instagram
However, the prosecution maintained that he acted out of malice and revenge, highlighting the repeated distribution of the explicit materials.
In sentencing, ST reported that District Judge Lee Lit Cheng said that “offenders who resort to criminal acts to address perceived injustice will be firmly dealt with”.
Additional remarks shared online
In a YouTube video posted on 22 April, Tay claimed in a text exchange that he had been “charged by right 10 months”, but was serving a longer sentence as he “won’t bow down to the devil’s and evils [sic]”.
Source: Kurt Tay on YouTube
Under the law, distributing intimate images without consent carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine, caning, or a combination of these penalties.
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Featured image adapted from @kurttay4ever on YouTube and @kurttay4ever on YouTube.
